Grand Bayou

If it isn't obvious, I love cooking. It is an integral passion in my life and I love food more than I love most people. When I don't feel like cooking, I still want good food, and I'm really picky about eating out at restaurants because the ones that I can afford are usually below my standards. I don't mean for that to sound cocky, I just mean that paying for a meal that tastes like a microwaved dinner is incredibly disappointing and I'd rather drag my ass into the kitchen and make something myself when I don't want to if that's the kind of food I'm going to get. This is my love/hate relationship with restaurant dining… I never know what I'm going to get.

Tonight was one of those nights where, try as I might, I really had no ideas for new recipes and I really didn't feel like cooking anyway, therefore having no reason to feel inspired to come up with recipes, and decided to check out what looked like the most authentic Louisiana style smokehouse slash BBQ joint that you'd find in French Canada. It's on a side street and looks like a semi-converted tavern where you could simultaneously hold an actual BBQ and watch a football game. The atmosphere inside was a mixed one; Shannon and I watched the Canadiens game with three hardcore fans, a rabbi and a lone and quiet fan, while in a separate upstairs area a group of guys were chugging pitchers as quickly as possible. The place was very comfortable and relaxed - great for watching sports, as we were - with an eclectic crowd.

The fun stopped there. The menu was nothing like I expected it to be. I expected a full-out restaurant menu in a bar, that I actually thought was a restaurant. What I got was a bar food menu in, well, a bar. My mistake, really. I should've realized this wasn't where I wanted to be, but we walked there in the cold and decided upon it anyway. I ordered the Cajun shrimp and Shannon ordered the Cajun chicken.

I received 6 overcooked shrimp with a bit of chilies, parsley and olive oil. The flavor was acceptable, but the texture of the meat was rubbery and very much like pre-cooked frozen that had been re-cooked a second time. I received an enormous serving of over-salted white rice and a little bit of vegetables. Very disappointing. The chicken was battered - to their credit, a decent batter - with a sweet chili type dipping sauce and fries. The fries were soggy, but I really enjoy fries with mayo and indulged a bit in them anyway. The chicken itself was pretty good really, tender and juicy with a flaky batter, but not enough to make up for the rest of the meal. We watched enough of the game to decide Montreal was going to win, then walked home.